Harrison Schmitt is one of my heros. The man is a living legend: Ph.D. in Geology, last astronaut to walk on the Moon, only scientist to explore the lunar surface, former U.S. Senator for New Mexico and one of Space Explorations greatest champions. Then I read his lastest testimony to the U.S. Senate,

ttp://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=10924

I don't if I should laugh or cry. If this is the best one of Space Explorations greatest champions can do then no wonder Space Exploration is in the pooper. Schmitt actually centered his testimony on that old chestnut of mining helium-3 on the Moon. Hello Harrison! We have not yet developed (and are not even close to developing) commercially viable nuclear fusion based upon the deuterium-tritium reaction. Deuterium-tritium nuclear fusion is orders-of-magnitude easier to do than helium-3. Arguing that we can solve the energy crisis by going to the Moon and mining helium-3 is only slightly less believeable than saying we could do this by closing our eyes and clapping our hands. By promoting this nonsense, Dr. Schmitt has once again wasted a golden opportunity to advance Space Exploration.

Gary